Protect Food Money: Phasing in a Full Housing Benefit

The prevailing budget standard for Rent-Geared-to-Income units in social housing is that lower income households should not spend more than 30% of their gross income on shelter in order to protect basic incomes for food and other necessities.

However, in 2006, 45.3% of lone mothers and 51.6% of single adults paid rents that exceeded 30% of their gross household income.

Therefore, Poverty Free Ontario urges the Ontario Government and any future government to phase-in a full housing benefit which would limit total rental costs to 30% of gross household budgets for all lower income adults and families.

A comprehensive housing plan for a poverty free Ontario must include consistent creation of new social housing stock along with the phased introduction of a full housing benefit.